Thoughts on the NEW & IMPROVED Final Fantasy XI!

Okay, I just heard about all of the new changes to Final Fantasy XI that were announced at Vanafest 2010.  Yeah I know, I must be living under a rock.  In all honesty I’ve been playing some World of Warcraft, but more on that later.

So let me start with my overall impression of these changes:  too little, too late.  What?  Blasphemy!  I know, but that’s the impression I get.

So first of all, lets talk about the biggest change announced:  Level 99.  This is the single most game breaking change, that could have been announced.  And in my opinion, its the main reason I said, too little, too late.  I know that over the 8 years of FFXI, the developers were saying that raising the level cap would not be good for the game.  However now, in the hey days, when they are trying to keep interest in the game, they announce level 99 as the new cap.  Really?  Instead of telling us that raising the level cap would break the game, the developers should have been looking at ways to keep it from breaking the game.  The three expansions, post-US launch, should have raised the level caps.  CoP should have raised it to 80.  ToAU should have raised it to 85.  WotG should have raised it to 90.  And then, releasing the original add-ons could have raised it to 95.  And the announcement at Vanafest this year, could have capped it to 99.  This would have allowed the general progression of players in getting to the new caps, instead of what will occur now — go get your 24 levels now!  Really SE?  You’ve already chained the majority of your users to their computers, with HNM’s and other end game content, and now, we have to grind through 24 levels!?  Thats just insane in my opinion.  The game is a “job” for most of your users, but now you want the rest to follow suit?  And thats exactly what will happen, because while some people may have worked on getting other jobs leveled to be sub-job capable, others did not.  And still others, didn’t work on what would be the right sub-jobs, and will have to do even more grinding.  Yeah, I’m talking about me here.  You see, who is going to want a WHM99/BLM49?  No one!  Why?  Because once a WHM gets to 80, everyone will want them to come WHM/RDM so they can get whatever benefits Convert will give, although I do believe SE will nerf this somehow.  In fact, all mages will probably be required to come /RDM now so they can get the benefits of Convert, and 82, Refresh.  For me, my RDM is like level 10 right now.  Thats 39 levels to work on to get it sub-job capable, then 24 levels to cap WHM.  Even with Fields of Valor and different types of Burn parties, thats still a lot of grinding to be done.  I could go on and on about this, but I won’t.  I think yall get the picture.

Of course, with the announcement of Level 99, also came talk of job adjustments.  Well duh!  But how ill SE handle these adjustments.  I see several mentions of certain abilities and spells for the different jobs, but nothing set in stone yet.  Like I mentioned above, for certain jobs, and certain job/sub-job configurations, will SE decide to nerf the capabilities of these classes, or end up making them more powerful, and unbalanced than they need to be?  Only time will tell here.

The next thing I want to talk about is the Trial of the Magians.  The general concept behind this system is really cool:  be able to take that armor or weapons you have been using for awhile, and upgrade them, so they can still be used now that you are level 99.  While the general concept behind the system sounds cool, didn’t you just release another equipment based system SE?  Yeah thats right, I’m talking about the red-headed step child of crafting, Synergy.  As I stated in my previous post, if properly implemented, Synergy could have been the greatest system devised for a game.  However, poor initial implementation and low drop rates on certain crafting items, have meant doom for this system.  So now SE wants to release another equipment system, without utilizing the other?  Come on SE!!  The developers and designers of Synergy have to be pissed that Trial of the Magians designers and developers are getting to do what they should have been allowed to do from the start!  Just by looking at the video of what this system is supposed to do, I can tell its going to be a lot easier than what Synergy is.  However, here’s what I would’ve liked to seen, based on the information released so far.  First of all, add a new function to the Synergy furnaces called Tempering.  Trade your weapon or armor to the furnace, and a tempering agent you receive as a quest reward from the Magians system.  And while the other elemental based functions could be used, the main function you use in this process is Temper.  Same thing occurs like with crafts, and you pull out your tempered item.  Now Tempering would be used for the basic stats on an item: Delay, Defense, Attack, etc.  Obviously higher level quests, result in better Tempering agents, for better results.  So what about the other stats and things on your equipment and armor?  Well thats what the other Magian quests are for.  Say you want to add/increase the Strength attribute on your sword.  You talk to the moogle, and start the Strength quest line.  The rewards from these quests are evolith, with none of the elemental/shape mumbo-jumbo.  For example, completing quest #1, could get you a STR+1 evolith, while completing the last quest, might get you a STR+50 or whatever evolith.  Now these attribute evoliths could stack, or maybe they don’t.  In addition there’s special quest lines so you can get evoliths to upgrade known or hidden stats, such as Cure Potency +10% on a light staff.  This is just a thought, but it makes use of a system that was poorly implemented in the first place.

The final thing I want to talk about is the Abyssea add-ons.  In my opinion, this is sounding like what the first add-ons should have been like.  Some new areas.  Some new equipment.  Some new mobs.  In each of the add-ons!  It would be the equivalent, in my opinion, of releasing one expansion, based on what is known, over a set period of time.  It will be interesting to see how these expansions are implemented.  I know that the Walk of Echoes end-game area is supposed to be released, but as far as the actual content goes, is currently still unknown.  Personally, I would like to see some more challenges geared around single party setups.  Now I know Nyzul, and other things can be partied, but this would be different.  World of Warcraft actually has a decent setup for their end game content, but the Abyssea stuff doesn’t need to be as elaborate.  Or maybe it does…  Anyway, give me a 6 man area, that I can fight dragons and what not, that drops what we will call normal loot.  In addition, you also have 12, 18, 36, and uncapped content available, with rewards to match.  What does this mean for the HNMLS scene?  Nothing really in regards to the content, but for its members it means a lot.  Lets say I am a new member in one of the shells, and they use the DKP system.  Well, I’m pretty much screwed right from the get go, right?  Now lets say the HNMLS runs normal 18, 36, and uncapped twice a week.  Well, now I might be guaranteed some better gear.  Now what if I got some friends together, and we did a 6 man run, well maybe now I’m guaranteed some good gear without spending those DKP yet.  For the sake of argument, we will use a sword that is already in the game, but everyone knows:  Excalibur.  So lets say I do that 6 man instance with my friends, and an Excalibur drops, with STR+10, AGI+10, Haste +2%.  Cool right!  So what if the 12 man version is STR + 20, AGI+20, Haste +5%.  Again, cool, and no DKP lost.  Obviously HNMLS’s would come up with their own rules about these things, but if the rewards scale to the content, now every member of an LS can be getting good gear.  I like the example of a trade system here, as long as the rewards were Ex, and not Rare/Ex, which could benefit the LS more.  For example, as the new guy, I come into the LS with that Excalibur +2, and no DKP.  I do a couple of runs, get lets say 50 DKP.  Well Johnny McNoob gets in the LS and he doesn’t have an Excalibur of any kind yet.  On an 18 man run, an Excalibur +3 drops, which would normally go for like 100 DKP.  The boss says you can have the sword, for your 50 DKP, and trading Johnny your Excalibur +2.  Might be a good deal you think!  In stead of 5+ runs to get to the 100 DKP for the sword, you can do a trade, and now you have good gear, and Johnny has good gear!  Everyone in the LS wins.  Plus, for those that may not want to do the HNMLS scene, can get some friends together, and still get similar to what they might get in an HNMLS, plus they can experience the same type of content.

So thats my thoughts anyway.  It will be interesting to see what comes out of these announcements, and how SE will respond and implement.  Unfortunately, if past implementations are anything to go by, these new changes could be doomed to failure.  By raising the level cap to 99, did SE possibly doom the rest of their content?  It is a common complaint among WoW players, how each new expansion, effectively kills the end-game type content from the previous one.  Case in point:  with the release of Wrath of the Lich King, its gotten more common to hear shouts for pick up groups (pugs) for things like Onyxia’s Lair, and Black Temple.  Instances, that at one point were only traversed by the elite of Azeroth.

And speaking of Azeroth…  Okay, so I re-installed WoW on the new computer.  Why you may ask?  because I had reinstalled Warcraft 3 and Frozen Throne.  And once I got back into the story, WoW became the biggest thought in the back of my mind.  There are a few things about WoW that I have noticed, and hope that FFXIV mimics.

#1.  Novice/Starter areas.  Back in 2003, as a noob Vanadiel, I was overwhelmed by everything around me.  You literally had to talk to everyone, and constantly check your quest log, to see what could be done.  Obviously you could go outside and kill bee’s and worm’s, but it was still so much too swallow.  WoW does it right with a starter area, although there’s is confined/determined by race.  In addition they have a visual indicator for who can give quests, or completes quests.  Now I don’t want the same type of huge ? and ! over peoples heads, but something more subtle, that wouldn’t interfere with environment.  Plus it could always be enabled/disabled with a hotkey.

#2.  Experience or equivalent from quests.

#3.  Easy to get back into.  With the number of breaks that I have taken from both games, I have always had an easier time getting back into WoW.  For example, when I stopped the last time, I was a Hunter 44 roaming around in Feralas.  Coming back, and getting readjusted to some things, and redoing my Talent tree, some recent changes made to the overall interface, made the transition easier.  For example, after going back through my quest log, I was able to see which quests I could still remember what to do, and which ones I needed to abandon.  Cool thing though, was that Blizzard made it to where your quests were now integrated into the map.  Need to know the general location of where those 30 wolves are you need to kill?  Its on the map.  Can’t remember the location of that quest giver who was roaming the wilderness, that needs those 30 pieces of wolf meat?  Its on the map.  It was so easy to get back into the game in fact, that I quickly hit 50, and now I’m in Outland as a Hunter 64!  Thats like three weeks, and 20 levels, playing how I play.  Lol, I even had to go out and buy Wrath of the Lich King, because I didn’t want to hit the level 70 cap, and not have anything to do.

So thats enough of my rambling.  I just had to get some stuff of my chest really.  Until next time yall! 

Theory About Synergy’s Future in FFXI

I was reading through the Synergy discussion thread over on the BlueGartrLS forum, and came across some rather intriguing posts.  While I will not post them here, I would like to further this theory about the future of Synergy in Final Fantasy XI.

While the current state of Synergy is not up to the standards of some, I have come to embrace what I believe to be a rather interesting crafting system.  While I hope that future recipes available for Synergy do not solely revolve around the end-game crowd in regards to what is available, I know that this will be the largest set of players who will either make or break the system.  So how does SquareEnix get the end-game crowd involved in Synergy?

With the introduction of the Fields of Valor content, SE also introduced augmented equipment, which was going to give players more variety in the gear they equipped.  However, initial reaction was poor to the system, as the chaotic nature of the random number generator behind the system, would give weird results to most players.  I believe I remember reading on the BlueGartrLS forums, where one user tried augmenting a Scorpion Harness, and received an Evasion -5 augment.  With the addition of the add-on scenario packs, players were given the ability to augment the final reward equipment piece from a list of specific augments.  So now the players had more control over the augments, but the original chaos still exists in the normal augment system.  I tried the Chapter 1 Elite training boss in Tahrongi Canyon, Allocamelus, trading an Uchigatana, and got Str-1…

We know that SE has still not implemented the final updates to the Wings of the Goddess storyline, as well as the end-game content for this expansion, similar to the sky and seas zones.  Speculation of course runs rampant where this content will be, and what Notorious Monsters will be there for the killing.  So how does Synergy play into this content?

So let’s say SE is going to use Synergy as the basis for the reward system in the new end-game content.  Let that sink in for a little bit, and really think about what this means for end-game equipment.  Without going into too much detail on specific area’s, I present an example to whet your appetite.

So let’s say the new major end-game area is the “Walk of Echoes” area that’s been hinted at, and maybe the original Tavnazia as the new major city area akin to Aht Urghan Whitegate.  So what if the regular notorious monsters in the new areas drop items that can be used in synergy, as well as some general evoliths from hunts.  And what if HNM level monsters in the new areas, dropped items that can be used in synergy, as well as some good, but generic equipment for specific job combos.  For example, the Chaos Lord drops Chaos Armor for WAR/DRG/PLD/DRK which gives Str+10, Haste +5%, Vit+10.  Now for most of ya’ll looking at this, this particular item may not be what your expecting from end-game equipment.  However, what if by taking the items Chaos Fire, Echo Ore, Adaman Sheet x2, and your Chaos Armor, you can synergy the Dark Chaos Armor for the same jobs, which now gives Str +20, Vit +18, Haste +10%, Accuracy +10, and Resist Silence increase!  Or by taking the same Chaos Armor, Adaman Sheet x3, and Dark Water, you can synergize the Lunar Chaos Armor for the same jobs, which gives Str +18, Vit +20, Haste +8%, Enmity +10, HP +20%, and Night: Dex +15.  So see, one piece of end-game equipment, that now has several possibilities, as well as the current way to desynergize back into the base piece using one of the Aptant’s.  And this would apply to all job combo type armor, or maybe even job specific armor, which could lead to some unique equipment pieces for players to use.

In addition, you can etch these items and add evolith to them to change the equipment even more.  Maybe give that Dark Chaos Armor the Str+5, Vit+5, and Accuracy +5, or maybe give it an HP+10% evolith.  The combinations for the new end-game equipment become almost infinite, and could lead to some interesting player choices.  So for example, maybe a SMN who casts Diabolos a lot, could add some Dark Magic +10 evolith to their equipment, or a SMN who casts Garuda a bunch will want to add some Wind Magic +10 evolith.  This helps to specialize the equipment to how the player wants to play the game, while giving them the attributes that will help them and their linkshell.

So thats the basis of the theory, and I truly believe it will lead to some unique equipment choices for players.  So comment, propose your own theories, or whatever.

Initial Impresssions on new Synergy system in Final Fantasy XI

Wow, its been awhile since I updated this blog, so just a few updates before the meat of this post!

• I got a new computer which FFXI and Wow now occupy, and I’m loving it!  Just need a new bigger monitor now, to better appreciate the imagery! 
• The final part(s) of the Eewok story is still in development.  I’m still having issues with how to end the story in a dramatic enough fashion, without being too cheesy.

Now on to the post!

Okay, so at the beginning of November, the notes for the next update was released, and the best thing that I saw coming out was the Synergy crafting system, which I will include the Evolith stuff in, since they go hand in hand.  Crafting was just one of those activities that I could really enjoy, because I could do it whenever I wanted, just as long as I had farmed the materials, or bought them.  On Monday, the newest part of the update was implemented, which included the Synergy and Evolith stuff, so I had to get back on.

So what is Synergy?  Essentially, it is a crafting system that can be done by 1-6 people, and can create items that normal crafts can, as well as a bunch of new Synergy-specific things.  In addition, you can add 1 to 3 slots to certain pieces of equipment, which you can then add evolith too!

So why would you need up to 6 people doing this?  Synergy is not the normal crafting we have grown accustomed too.  Synergy is basically a crafting mini-game, where you are adding elemental fewels, adjusting safety and pressure levers, repairing the furnace, and trying to recover fewel pieces after an explosion.  So each person in your party could be given a task to look after, plus the skill sets required may need more than one person with the right skill ranks.  I will not go into too much detail about what you actually have to do, so just follow one of the synergy links above.

So here’s my initial impressions of this system:  cool!  While it seems the majority of the player base is rather “meh” about this, I am really excited to see what they are going to do with future updates.  The only downside that I have really noticed, is that the interface to access functions and readouts is clunky.  I would’ve preferred an icon based window, than the menus.  Something like what I came up with on the right here.  If it was easy enough to understand, then I think it would be easier to use.  As it stands, you have to carefully monitor the chat log to see what the heck is going on with the process, and its rather annoying, especially if you are trying to talk to people to get them to do certain things in regards to the process!

Since I am a Master Carpenter, I have not really found that many recipes which require Woodworking, and I have not seen any recipes that will do weapons, one of the carpenters primary outputs!  So while I am ticked off about this, I have noticed several recipes that I can still do with my Journeyman level Clothcraft, Smithing, and Goldsmithing.  In addition, I will probably be leveling my Cooking up to Journeyman level (60), so I can do the Cooking-based synergy recipes for leveling.  And in order to level cooking, I will probably working on Fishing, so I can do those recipes for skill-ups!  So I’ve got alot to do, and its all revolving around synergy!

So far, not that much equipment has been found that can be etched for evolith, however, I believe that most of the equipment that will be etchable, will come from synergy itself, ie. the ebon, ebur, and furia equipment.  This will allow SquareEnix more control over what can be slotted for evolith, without ruining the balance of most of the other equipment found in the game.  For example, I tried trading my elemental staves to the Synergy Engineer last night to see if they could be etched, and she said “no.”  Which makes sense, because not only do these things have hidden stats, but also normal attribute based adjustments.  Allowing these items to be etched, would more than likely cause some major balance issues in my opinion.

As far as the equipment goes, I have been searching for those items which form the basis for the rest of the items, which can be synthed using normal crafts.  For example, Ebon Mitts are a Clothcraft 92/Goldsmith ? recipe, which requires a Scintillant Ingot, a piece of Ruszor Leather, a Gargouille Shank, and two pieces of Cambric.  Using the ebur and furia pigments, you can change the color from black to white and red respectively.  In addition, you can desynergize the more specialized versions, Ebon Gages, Ebon Cuffs, and Ebon Gants, into the Ebon Mitts so you can start from scratch with how you want them to look.  So for me, the relationships among the equipment based items is complex, and searching for the base materials can be time-consuming, but the rewards are also cool.  Theres no pictures up yet, but I wouldn’t mind walking around in the red Furia Frock set on my white mage, or maybe the more specialized Furia Bliaut set (WHM/SMN)!  Plus, if these items are etchable, being able to customize them so that for example, I add the Enhancing Magic: Conserve MP+4 evolith to 1 or more pieces, or the Divine Magic: Recast -1~4% to one or more pieces, or maybe make a set that will allow for some better attack percentages against certain monster types, or whatever.  The possibilities as I them are almost endless, and although you will still have people walking around looking the same, its what they have etched on to that equipment, that will make them more unique than the guy standing next to them!

I have also noticed that there are some new craft specific equipment, that will lower the damage taken from a synergy explosion, which will be cool.  For example, the Carpenter’s Cuffs will reduce the damge taken by 20%!  There are new smocks as well, which require the user to use their existing craft apron to upgrade, which reduces the explosion damage by 25%.  The good thing about synergy, is that if you fail to make the item for whatever reason, the materials are not lost!  You just have to click on the furnace again to regain your materials.  I will be pursuing these items as soon as I can!

So thats it for my initial impressions.  It was fun Tuesday night, being in a Synergy party with Mel, Skeeterbaggins, and Tazzer, trying to figure out the little nuances with the system.  I got to level 3.5 last night, after getting cooking up to level 10, so I could do the Orange Juice recipe solo.  I also participated in a NM Hunt in Giddeus, to take down the vile Quu Xijo the Illusory, to get a piece of evolith that is Ninjutsu: Magic Accuracy +1, which I hope to etch on one of my katanas!  Looking forward to whatever I can do tonight, including new NM hunts!

So until next time, this is Ceciltaru signing off from Vanadiel!

Up to date impressions of Final Fantasy XIV

I am not sure when the official FFXIV sites were updated, but I just noticed the new stuff this morning.  And it is this new stuff, which I will share my impressions of.

First of all, yes, I will probably be a male Lalafell, named Cecillala, Cecilfell, or Ceciltaru, I haven’t decided yet.    The Lalafell, definitely look more child-like than the Tarutaru, and hopefully they will not speaky-weaky like them.  As for the other races, I was disappointed to see that the Roegadyn (Galka) and Miqo’te (Mithra), appear to be single sex again.  It will be interesting to see if there are any racial abilities given to the different disciplines, which I cover later.

Next, is the Armoury which brings to mind a Bag of Holding, aka Mary Poppin’s carpet-bag    Now I might be off in left field here, but this really sounds like a cool idea.  It really does sound like a way to quickly switch between different weapons and armor, as well as different disciplines.  I am still wondering if there is a Final Fantasy Tactics style of learning abilities to this, as it sounds from the second paragraph.  Obviously if the real idea behind this is currently being conveyed, then this is really cool.  Think about going to a Cerby, Fafhogg, Tiamat, or whatever HNM as a fighter, then switching over to mage when the current mages MP is gone, and then dropping for a new mage to heal your MP.

The idea of the different disciplines sounds really cool as a replacement to the old job system.  It sounds like if you are a War Disciple, then obviously based on your weapon and equipment, determines the role you play:  tank, melee, ranged, and the weapon also helps in determining the damage and frequency of attacks.  As a Magic Disciple, the skills you have help to determine the “school” of magic you use, whether it is white (healing), black (attack), red (white/black), green (elemental/earth), or summoning.  As a Disciple of the Land, based on what you have equipped, determines what “occupation” you are doing, such as fishing, harvesting, mining, lumbering, gardening, or excavating, which does have a slight drawback in regards to HELM, because you will actually have to equip the item, instead of just using one.  And finally, has a Disciple of the Hands, what equipment you have determines your crafting proficiency.  I am still left wondering what restrictions will be placed on these disciplines, or if there will be some jack-of-all-trades thing.

The guildleves sound like a cool concept to how quests and missions will be handled, giving additional special abilities based on what you or others have.  It sounds like, for example, that if you have a Valor guildleve, you get a plus to your strength or defense, or maybe a guildleve that gives a plus to magic or intelligence.  Or maybe a Diligence guildleve helps with HELM style tasks, and a Constancy guildleve helps with crafting tasks.  So there are some really cool ideas in this system, and it will be interesting to see what they actually do.

One of the really cool concepts presented so far is Aetheryte, which sounds like really cool warp crystals.  Maybe the time sink of travel is gone, but it does sound like there is a drawback to this system.  For example, even though you can warp from point A in Limsa Lominsa to point B in Gridania, and then you can warp to point C in the Crypt of Eternal Evil, and then warping back to point A in Limsa Lominsa in one day, you can’t warp anymore that real day because of the effect on your body.  And maybe there is further exceptions based on your “level”, so that new people will not be able to freely warp between areas.  And obviously there will be some restrictions placed on where you can warp, similar to the crag crystals.

That leaves what little story has been released, and it sounds really cool.  The idea of the city-states and guilds ala FFTA/FFTA2 is appealing, and I wonder what benefits or draw backs you get from these.  Does this replace linkshells, but still gives you a pool of people to obtain help from?  For example, I am a member of the Guild of the Flying Chocobo, and I can send out a request to all guild members for help with a fight against a particularly evil carrot.  Or maybe in addition, the guild replaces the nations, which leads to some interesting ideas.  Based on what guild you are in, you get a different story line (missions), or maybe even specialized quests.  Now that would be really cool.

So thats about all that has been released so far, except for some filler on Limsa Lominsa, and already my heart is racing in anticipation.  Obviously until some more details are released on the different systems, all we can still do is dream and brainstorm about what they might be or do.

Update

I decided its been too long, so here’s an update on my current happenings.

Unfortunately, I took on more than I could chew 3 months ago, when I accepted 2 more contracts on top of the 2 that I was currently finishing.  However, thanks to Murphy and his law, one of the original contracts decided to not play well with others, and I had a ton of bug fixes to do.  So I have found myself swamped with work, and unable to play FFXI.

This has also had the side effect of not being able to finish up Eewok’s story, since I cannot find a good time to devote to fixing the problems with the last two parts.

And as of Sunday, HAL has died    Actually, I think it is just the power supply, but its an older computer, so I have to find a power supply that will fit my motherboard and CPU.  If I can’t, I will buy a new computer, which I was gonna put off till next year to make sure it could play FFXIV, and then take the week to reinstall FFXI and its 500TB of updates 

Story Update

Okay, part 6 is up now.  I still do not completely like how it turned out, but I can deal with it for now.  Just to let ya’ll know, I moved some stuff around in order to make it more fluid.  The thing that was really keeping this thing from being published, was a fight and failure against Mini-Titan.  I eventually gave up on the idea, because it didn’t flow really well with the rest of the story.  If I do a DVD Commentary later, I may let it slip where the fight would’ve taken place, if you can’t figure it out.  So I hope ya’ll like part 6.

I am finishing up some work on part 7, and hope it will be up sometime this week.

Thank you all for your patience, and enjoy.

FFXIV: Update Post

Okay ya’ll, I think I’m going to try and maintain a series of posts on updates involving Final Fantasy XIV Online.  I will also give my thoughts and opinions on things that are released, as well as links to what others may be saying about what is being released.  Hopefully in the end, this will help all of us in deciding what we want to do with this new game.  If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to post.

To start off, I have compiled a list of links for the coverage given at E3 last week, as well as the official site, which can be found here:  http://finalfantasyxiv.com.  Bookmark that if you haven’t yet.

• Alla’s initial coverage of the revealing.
• Some exclusive info Alla was able to get.
• Alla’s coverage of the Tanaka and Komoto interview.
• Alla’s transcription of the SE press conference.
• Elmer the Pointy’s (BlueGartr) in-depth summary of the press conference.
• The info thread from FFXIClopedia.
• Eorzeapedia (since some jackass quickly stole the ffxivclopedia.org)

And if you haven’t taken a look at the landscape stills from the trailer, then do it.  Those pics really make me want to explore that land!  What mysteries and adventure await us!

The battle system itself is looking to be really cool, from what the coverage and trailer show.  If you need an idea about this, think the Mandy fight from A Crystalline Prophecy, but not being uber now.  Try to imagine doing that fight with a full party at level 20, level 30, etc…  I kind of imagine it also where, yeah you may be facing 5 enemies, maybe some can be slept, but they’re not that hard, and it takes 3 or 4 whacks from 2 DD’s to take one of them down.  I hope more coverage of this is done, because I really want to understand more about the idea behind the “circle the mages (wagons)” tactics.

Now I didn’t want to end this post with a rant, but it’s unavoidable.  With the hush-hush on the changes being made to the job and leveling systems, the speculations and rumors are flying like crazy.  New threads pop up in Alla’s FFXIV forums every minute, with some “new” speculation or opinion.  While some of these can be considered thought out to a degree, others are so incoherent, that the ramblings are as holey as a sieve.  Reader be warned when venturing into the perils that await in those forums.

However, what has actually been put forth about the system is sketchy at best.  However, several people have expressed an interest in a system, similar to Final Fantasy II.  The idea behind this system is, you control how you want to skill up (level up), your character(s).  If you want a magic user, the more you use spells, the higher your MP, intelligence, and spell levels go.  When you get hit, the more damage you take, will help to increase your defense and HP.  And yes, fighting more will increase your strength and weapon levels.  Now if SE is thinking about implementing this system, they’re in for a shock, because if they think the level grind system is horrible, this system is 100 times worse.  I thought FF2′s story and characters were good, but this skill system made me hate playing the game.  Simply put, early in the game, you are forced to level up your different spells and attributes in round after mindless round of combat.  If you do it right, then when you get to the Lamia Queen battle, it can be a piece of a cake, otherwise, its back to mindless skilling up.

Now obviously the idea behind skilling up weapons and skills is a bit of a no brainer.  However, it could be implemented in a different way, that takes the grind out of it, or at least makes it more tolerable.  I just pray that SE really thinks about what it wants to accomplish with their new system, and takes a hard look at the pro’s and con’s of what they want to do.  If they try to implement this system, then I will continue to be an “active” resident of Vana’diel and will miss Eorzea.

Starting Over: Just a few dings, but she runs great.

Welcome to another episode of “Cecil the Noob Tarutaru”, I’m your host, Ceciltaru….

Okay seriously, just another update on what I’ve been doing lately.

I finally completed the RSE equipment quest on Thursday night.  I still think this red version of the starter gear is cooler than the puke green starter stuff.

Friday night, I got lucky and got to party with Zendak, Xellana, and Trebaut in a level-sync party in Qufim Island, which led to my Samurai dinging from 23 to 26!  3 levels, not too shabby 

Saturday night, I got my Monk up to level 20.  Now I just need to get Ninja to 20, and I can get rid of all the lower level shared gear for SAM/MNK/NIN.

Sunday night, I was on briefly and was going to work on Samurai or Warrior, when my stomach decided it had other plans…

In gil news…  I went 0/3 on harvesting light ores.  I’ve got to find my sheet that has all the ore “recipes” on it.  I think I might be sticking with dark though, since that one is relatively easy.  In an attempt to show where some of my money will be going soon, I started making shihei Saturday night, and used up all the materials I had on my wood mule, 14 stacks total.

I have been thinking of starting fishing again, which will help in getting my cooking leveled up a little, but I’m still not sure.  I really loved the old way of fishing, but thanks to the damn botters, that had to get nerfed.  I really hate the “fight the fish” interactivity, because thanks to the stamina meter being above my name box in the lower right hand corner, I have lost fish in the past, because my focus was split.  WoW’s way of fishing is cool, click on the bobber when it drops, and I don’t think I have heard of any fish-bots from that.  Oh well…

My Wishlist for Final Fantasy XIV Online (Rapture)

After seeing the FFXIV trailer from Sony’s E3 press conference, all I can say is:  Wow!  (no pun intended) 

This game looks like it is going to be real cool, and I am looking forward to the updates and info that gets put out, until its release next year (crosses fingers for a 2010 release.)  I have been reading and trying to keep up with what other FFXI fans are saying about the game, and the possibilities it holds.  The rumors, speculations, and rants from these fans, have gotten me to think about what I really want to see from this new game.  Now I have already made a post on some of the features I want to see, but after the Q & A yesterday, it has gotten me wondering what changes they will make.

1.  Job/Class System — From the conference yesterday, it sounded like they were going to redo the class system as we know it in FFXI.  So what does this mean?  Well I can’t say for sure, but I can make my own speculations.  I really want to see an open-ended job system, that allows for some radical and normal job combination’s, which means they really do need to keep the sub-job system.  The sub-job system is a great way to build up your character, but the FFXI system, suffers from the lack of true interchangeability.  Once a combination is found that works for a lot of situations, its the only one used, and those individuals who try out different ways, will be laughed at or scorned.  In FFXI, we laugh at the ghetto Paladin (WAR/WHM), but what if in FFXIV that combination works fine as a main or backup tank?  What about a combination like RDM/SAM or SAM/RDM, which I kinda see as the old Magic Knight from Final Fantasy III.  I hope there will be additional jobs in FFXIV, such as Chemist, Time Mage, Geomancer, and more, which will help create some great job combination’s.  Now will every combination work?  Probably not.  The advantages and disadvantages will still have to be weighed, but at least encourage those free-thinkers and individuals willing to try something new.

2.  Races — Square made it clear at yesterday’s press conference that although the races look similar to what we are accustomed too in FFXI, they’re not the same.  I believe this means, that even though we can see a Tarutaru, Galka, and Mithra in the trailer and artwork, doesn’t mean they are Tarutaru, Galka, or Mithra.  Confused?  I think Square may be changing up some of the names, and obviously the back story, so that they can fit into the new world.  In addition, they may be changing up what each race represents.  What if the new Tarutaru were like Dwarves, primarily fighters with tough skin, and low charisma (OMG! They’re not cuddly anymore!  )  Or what if the Elvaan went back to being the mystical, magical creatures that we read about in Tolkien and Dungeons and Dragons?  Once again, the possibilities are endless here, and I do hope they add at least two new races for us to play with.

3.  Dungeons — I hope Square takes a page out of the WoW handbook, and creates more instanced dungeons, but give them the SEE treatment.  I kind of imagine it like, walking into Giddeus, Castle Oztroja, Beadeaux, Davoi, Eldieme Necropolis, or wherever, and it be an instanced dungeon.  A playground for an individual, party, or alliance.  Maybe the start of the zone, can be split up, so that depending on which area you enter, its geared more for a a particular setup.  Missions and stuff are still setup the same, but now you are fighting your way to the boss.  Everyone who has the mission/quest active, will get the clear, and no need to redo a thing multiple times so everyone can get an item.  This could lead to multiple missions/quests being activate at the same time, and the need for multiple bosses to be taken down.  The only problem as I see it, and where WoW gets it wrong, is that these dungeons need to be capped in a way.  For example, the Giddeus solo, party and alliance dungeons, may be capped at lvl20, lvl30 and lvl40 respectively.  For those that have played WoW, this would get rid of of the uber-runs through the starter dungeons, where one or more high levels run a noob through a dungeon to get the best gear possible for their level.  Or, in relation to FFXI, the 2 minute or less Rank 3 dragon fights.  Now I will admit, maybe some or all dungeons would also have uncapped areas, but these would more than likely be for end-game purposes only, ie.  fighting the Tiamat spawn in an uncapped Attowha Chasm.  This is just a thought, and can probably be expanded on, in regards to Salvage, Einharjar, Dynamis, Limbus, regular missions, and more.

4.  Missions — In my opinion, FFXI has the best storyline’s for its expansions, over other MMORPG’s.  For me, exploring a world, and completing quests and missions, are the activities that keep bringing me back to one of these imaginary worlds.  So as an adventurer, I need a storyline.  I need something that I can follow, that has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  If there are branches along the way, that will help build on the main plot, or a sub-plot, then bring it on.  So for me, I would want to keep the same general formula, SEE has implemented with its storyline missions.  You have cutscene, quest-like, and battlefield missions.  The only complaint I have, is that currently, multiple consecutive cutscene missions, are usually treated individually, instead of as a whole.  Just because I get a CS one place, and then have to travel to another place to get another CS, and then have to travel back to the original starting point, doesn’t mean that these are separate missions.  If you have to make it like mission 1a, 1b, 1c, etc.. then do it.  But I hate to see mission 1, 2, 3, and 4 as cutscene only.  I would like to go back, and expand on the sub-plot/mission idea.  In the beginning missions of WotG, you have to complete 3 quests, before you can move on to the next mission.  Well instead of that, what if based on certain variables, you can activate a sub-plot mission line, that runs parallel to the main one.  Maybe, you have to do certain things while completing the main or sub, to advance the other.  And then in the end, based on what you have done, maybe different sets of rewards are available.

5.  Quests — I briefly went over the one feature I really want involving quests in my other post, but I will reiterate it here.  I like WoW’s way of identifying quest givers to a degree, but maybe SEE can do something better, that is less intrusive to the visual appeal, maybe something configurable.  I do like the single and multi-quest types, as well as the reputation system for knowing when certain quests can be activated.  There could be some better quest rewards for certain things, or maybe variable rewards.  For example, a particular quest needs you to get something from Xarcabard.  At level 20 for example, the reward is 5k gil, where as, at lvl 70+, the reward is 500 gil.  A risk/reward type of setup for some, not all quests would be cool.

6.  Equipment — I know.  What I am about to say heresy, and could get me killed if I belonged to wrong circles.  I think there should be equipment available for all players, that lets them feel uber, no matter how much time they can spend in game.  While the current HNMLS setup, including camping Kings and more is cool for some people, I for one, do not have the time to devote to standing around for 3hrs in the vain hope that a mob will spawn, my LS will claim, and an item will drop.  But if I was given the opportunity, either in a solo or party type of atmosphere to get an item, that is just as good, maybe even better, then great.  One of the greatest accomplishments I have in FFXI, is beating the lvl20 capped Avatar battles.  So what if I there was a lvl60 capped for instance, Kirin solo I could undertake, in order to get a Kirin’s Pole or Kirin’s Osode?  Now obviously that is where the heresy comes in, but the rewards do not always have to be like this.  So lets take the same example, but now I have the option of a Kirin’s Staff (Dmg 50, Hp+20, MP+20, INT+8, MND+8, all elements +14, same equip lvl and jobs) or a Kirin’s Breastplate (Def 50, MP+25, attributes + 8, Light +40, same equip lvl and jobs) when I beat the solo version.  The stats are not as good as the original, but I can at least now have some equipment on par, but also have the sense of accomplishment for defeating it in a solo context.

7.  Merits/Builds — While this technically should be under jobs, I wanted to give it it’s own paragraph.  I like the system that is currently in place in FFXI, but I do think it needs a slight overhaul.  I kind of like the way WoW seperates out its ability trees, but I do think that system is also dated.  A combination of the FFXI and the ability tree system, would be cool.  Plus I think meriting should begin at a level, and not when the cap is reached.  Can you still get merits after reaching your cap?  Of course.  So how do you implement this?  Well, similar to FFXI, once you complete a quest, you can start meriting, but its not like now.  For pre-lvl50 for example, you need 10000 limit points to get a merit, and post is 5000.  But you are earning these limit points along with experience.  For example, you get 100 Exp, and 50 limit points.  Now you might be thinking this will take forever at low levels, and its meant too.  But once you activate the quest, you have it activate for all jobs that can participate.  For example, you can start getting merits at lvl20, so that’s when you complete the quest on your main job.  Now every other job you level past 20, can participate in getting merits.  Once you can participate, merits are also visible below the experience.  In addition, each 10 lvls marks a new cap, and a new quest that has to be completed.  This will go along with whatever level cap quests that exist.  And finally, the merits themselves will help in building whatever type of character you want to play.  If you want to be a purely healer WHM, then pump merits into Healing Magic and Cure Potency.  If you want to be a divine WHM, similar to maybe a Cleric, then pump your merits into Divine Magic and Holy Damage for example.  And this will go with whatever jobs are available, and make some great character possibilities!

8.  Skills — I like how FFXI has weapon skills, as well as the actual weapon and magic skills, and like how the skill up system works.  My only gripe about this, comes from what are considered hidden skills.  Yes I can ride a chocobo at lvl17 from a starter city, but I supposedly can ride for only so long.  Well what is that time?  I cannot tell this from anything I see.  When riding a chocobo, I can dig, but once again, I do not have any clue what lvl it is, so I don’t know where I can dig successfully.  I will touch on this here, but I think the support skills, such as H.E.L.M. and gardening, need visible skill levels.  While I like being able to grow elemental ores on my lvl1 gardening mule, it doesn’t make sense, unless I have a high gardening skill.  Or, when I mine, how about a low skill level, means I won’t be digging up that Khroma or Darksteel Ore.

9.  Crafts — I like the FFXI system of crafting over WoW’s, but both have their good and bad points.  I like crafting with crystals, because it makes a standard FFXI element more than just window dressing.  I like how when crafting, there are chances for breaks, as well as not skill ups.  WoW gets this wrong, because the only times you will not get skill ups, in my experience anyway, is when the recipe goes green.  I do like WoW’s recipe system though, because it adds a bit of flavor to what you can learn.  However, a mix of both systems in this regard would be great.  For example, I shouldn’t need a recipe for the threads, cloths, lumber, leather, and other basic materials (you just know them when you can make them), as well as some basic equipment, such as a silk shirt, leather vest, or iron arrow.  However, I will need to find the recipes to make elemental staves, Noble’s Tunic’s, or Amemet Mantle.  These recipes can be rewards from quests and missions, drops off mobs, or even sold by vendors/AH.  That way, my cloth mule, who’s highest lvl is 10, but is Cloth85, cannot necessarily make that Vermillion Cloak, unless I farm the recipe for him.  It adds some differences to crafters, because not all crafters will necessarily know all recipes.  I do like the craft/sub-crafts system as well, because it makes some recipes more complicated because the crafter has to know one or more sub-crafts, and be of a particular level.  This also leads to different style crafters.  For example, I can be considered a furniture crafter, which is why I initially started woodworking, because I have the sub-crafts that allow me to build the bookshelves, beds, and desks.  Finally, I would like an in-game recipe list.  While this would get rid of my biggest need to visit Allakhazam, it can also be frustrating having to look online to find out what I need to make a certain item.

10.  PVP — while I do not want to see a world-wide PVP system, the idea behind Ballista and Brenner is cool.  However, you have to tweak it, and make it more fun for all involved.  Keep the capture the flag idea if you must, but do not make it to where the melees are only going after the magic users.  Bring some real strategy into the mix.  Whatever is done here, there needs to be a good reward system in place, and the system will need to be updated, as other changes are made to the world.

Well, I think that is about it for now.  I know I just touched on some ideas and features, but this is what I am hoping for when I start playing FFXIV.  I hope some of ya’ll will at least try this out, because I’m not sure I can play this new game without my buds.  I am looking forward to kicking ass and taking names with Tam, Xell, Mel, Zen, Cid, Shemi, Arc, Eewok, Slusher, Meka, Cala, Orophen, and the rest of the gang in the new world of Eorzea!

Starting Over: Just a little update.

Well I decided to make a little update post on my progress in the world of melee.  First of all, I have not played on my SAM all week.  Don’t get me wrong, I want to.  I’m just still not sure about competing for mobs in Qufim.  If you are getting crap experience per hour, then you can see what I mean.  Yes, I have an Anniversary Band, and and Emperor’s Band, but why would I want to use it, just to double on crap experience.  Oh well, so I have been trying to play around with NIN, MNK, and some DNC, just to get it back to sub level.

I brought out the WHM/RNG for some ram farming in La Theine and Konshtact Sunday night to get Lumbering Lambert and Rampaging Ram to pop for their horns.  Once I got both, I was able to get the purple belt for my MNK who just turned 18    Between camps, I had to dump a ton of skins and horns onto mules, and hope it will make money when I get to selling it.  On a side note, shortly after to popping into Konshtact, I put up wide scan and saw Bendigeit Vran was up south of the crag.  He dropped the AGI+1 Rogetsurin boomerang thing, which will look good in the hands of my THF and NIN.

I spent some time Sunday afternoon dumping as much of the lowbie equipment that I had onto my new equipment mule.  I know, its sad, but what is a poor man to do. 

I tried getting my 3rd pattern yesterday morning in Shakrami, tried being the operative word.  Apparently there was a server reset between the time I logged off and logged in, that caused the server to be 2 days game (2 hrs real) behind the Pyogenes clock.  Now could the Pyogenes clock be wrong now?  Yes I can admit that too.  Anyway, I used my key in the chest I found and got gil, so was ticked there.  I got lucky though and got another key pretty quick, but wasn’t going to make the same mistake again.  I just have to pay better attention to the time.

I’ve got a brief update on parts 5 and 6 of my story:  they’re being rewritten.  After making some minor changes to part 4 before I published it, I realized part 5 didn’t flow like it had before, so I started rewriting it.  Unfortunately, the 5 drafts after have been subpar at best, and still lack the flow I need.  The side effect being that part 6 will probably need to be rewritten too now, so it can flow with part 5.  What does this mean to you the reader?  You have to wait, and I am truly sorry about that.  Hopefully, I will be satisfied with my attempts this week, and will get the ne stuff up soon.